Classic all-English Champions League ties: Tottenham v Man City has a lot to live up to

March 15, 2019 13:48

Classic all-English Champions League ties: Tottenham v Man City has a lot to live up to

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Manchester City and Tottenham were drawn together in the Champions League quarter-finals on Friday, a tie that follows a rich history of all-English clashes in the knockout phase of the competition.

City came through a straightforward last-16 meeting with Schalke, hammering the Bundesliga side 7-0 at home in the second leg to progress 10-2 on aggregate.

Spurs were also fairly comfortable in the round of 16, running out 4-0 victors across the two legs against Borussia Dortmund.

Both teams will be expecting a gruelling tie, with all-English occasions in the Champions League rarely disappointing.

Below, we examine five classics from the knockout stages...

2004-05 semi-final: Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea (agg)

En route to lifting the 2004-05 crown in an unforgettable final against AC Milan, Liverpool squeezed past Chelsea in one of the most memorable Champions League ties ever. The whole 180 minutes came down to an early Luis Garcia goal in the second leg, though it was a controversial decision to say the least. The Spaniard nudged the ball goalwards after Petr Cech was caught out of his goal and, although William Gallas appeared to have just stopped it going over the line, what would come to be known as the 'ghost goal' was allowed to stand.

2007-08 final: Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United (aet, 5-6 on penalties)

Just two points separated them at the Premier League summit and, just as they did domestically, United pipped Chelsea to the trophy. First-half goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Frank Lampard saw the match go to extra-time, in which Didier Drogba was sent off for slapping Nemanja Vidic. The match ultimately went to a shoot-out and Chelsea looked set to win after Ronaldo spurned his kick, but John Terry slipped and missed what would have been the clincher, and Edwin van der Sar saved from Nicolas Anelka to leave the Blues' captain in tears.

2008-09 quarter-final: Liverpool 5-7 Chelsea (agg)

It all started so well for Liverpool, as Fernando Torres put them 1-0 up just six minutes into the first leg at Anfield, but Chelsea overpowered them – Branislav Ivanovic heading in twice, before Drogba sealed the 3-1 win. The Reds began the return game brilliantly as well, finding themselves 2-0 up inside 28 minutes, but again Guus Hiddink's men rallied, pulling level just shy of the hour-mark as the game finished 4-4 in a thriller, sending Chelsea into the semi-finals.

2008-09 semi-final: Manchester United 4-1 Arsenal (agg)

A matter of weeks later, Alex Ferguson's United side produced a classic display of counter-attacking football to get past Arsenal. A 1-0 first-leg defeat was kind to the Gunners, but at the Emirates they were completely undone, as Park Ji-sung put the visitors one up early on after an incisive break. Manuel Almunia then failed to keep out Ronaldo's 40-yard free-kick, before the Portugal star got United's third after another devastating counter. Robin van Persie's controversial penalty was a mere consolation, but the Red Devils were unable to reproduce their performance in the final against Barcelona - Darren Fletcher's red card for conceding the spot-kick that saw him miss the showpiece was arguably a factor.

2017-18 quarter-final: Manchester City 1-5 Liverpool (agg)

City may have been running away with the Premier League, but any hope of also conquering Europe for the first time was emphatically ended by Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp's side blew their visitors away in the opening 31 minutes of the first leg, astonishingly racing into a 3-0 lead, which was how the game ended. In Manchester, Pep Guardiola's slim chances were temporarily improved with Gabriel Jesus' second-minute goal, but the Reds surged home in the second half – goals from Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino sealing a famous two-legged victory on their way to the final.